Show ContentsBurwood History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Burwood family

The surname Burwood was first found in Berwickshire where they were a family of great antiquity deriving their surname from Berwick or Barwick, which, when arriving south in England in the early 15th century became Burwood, Berwood, Burward, Burwald.

There is also a Burwood in Shropshire which dates back centuries. Burwardsley is found in Cheshire and dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Burwardeslei. Literally this place name means "woodland clearing of the fort-keeper, or of a man called Buregweard." 1

Early History of the Burwood family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Burwood research. Another 256 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1296, 1333, 1524 and 1603 are included under the topic Early Burwood History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burwood Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Burwood, Barwood, Burward, Burwald, Burwarde, Barwick, Berward, Berwood, Birwood, Burrwood, Berwoughdon, Berwaughdon and many more.

Early Notables of the Burwood family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

  • Burwood of Burwood House


New Zealand Burwood migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Burwood Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Miss Elizabeth Burwood, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Solent" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 30th July 1857 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Burwood (post 1700) +

  • James Burwood, Lawyer, New York
  • Gordon Burwood, Canadian Soft drink executive
  • Brigadier Stanley Burwood Holder (b. 1891), Australian Paymaster-in-Chief, Army Headquarters from 1943 to 1945 3


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  3. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, August 30) Stanley Holder. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Holder/Stanley_Burwood/Australia.html


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